Hello Spacewalkers!

As April begins, we have another episode of DevDiary for you. Something cool and chilly to start this spring with (it’s even snowing in Poland when we’re writing this - yes, at the beginning of April. Wonderful April Fools’ day, my darling Spring. Truly amazing… not).

This time we would like to tell you a little bit about the setting of our game. And by setting we mean the world of the game - not only the spaceship where the action takes place.

As you know, we were inspired by many works and different media - from science fictions books of the 50s/60s to the Alien(s) movie franchise of the 70s/80s. That’s why we are creating retro sf mood and look. You know, crude inventions, wire connections, and almost no high-tech as we are seeing it.

This is not to say that in our setting computers, Artificial Intelligence, or cybernetic implants do not exist. Everything - and more - is here, but with a more classical, 80s cyberpunk vibe. More hardwires, more rough inventions, and fewer transhumans ideas. So, almost everyone has a brain implant, but wireless connections it's a rare thing. People may use exoskeletons, but there is no Wikipedia-like knowledge database that connects everything.

In our retro-futuristic version of Earth, the home of mankind becomes a less and less hospitable place. Not only for “ecological” reasons - but also because of those evil corporations and their power-hungry attitude. That’s why more and more people look into the skies for a way to escape the so-called Old Terra.

Fortunately, there are still people, not only religious ones, thinking about the other poor souls. People with enough connections, money, and resources to build spaceships and to offer at least some humans possibility to find a new home. Those “magnates” create special charities or humanitarian organizations, which help everyone find a new home.

Of course, the big corporations and international companies also work hard to colonize space. These kinds of entities have much more options and power but are less trusted - at least by part of the citizens of the planet Earth. Nevertheless, those enterprises have much more tools to build better-equipped colonies in space.

That is how the setting of “Cryospace” looks. You, as a player, will become an ordinary maintenance guy on a spaceship aiming for the New World. A spaceship full of usual people, like you - not-trained workers waiting to be unfrozen on the other side of the galaxy. A spaceship with some crew, some trained professionals, and a strong connection to the Earth. A spaceship where something goes wrong…

You are just a regular maintenance guy.
And you’ve just awoken…
…to a true nightmare.

Stay cool, Spacewalkers!
Cryospace Team

Hello there. It’s great to have some hints about what we may tell you about “Cryospace”. That’s why we’ve decided to tell you something about combat.

First of all, once again we have to emphasize that our game is not a hack and slash experience. We are doing our best to create an oppressive, dangerous, hostile environment for our player’s character. There will be levels where our hero may need to fight, however, the best possible options will be mostly running, hiding, and trapping enemies.

Remember: You are not a soldier. Not a fighter. Just an ordinary maintenance guy. And this is a survival horror game. So your best friend may be a melee weapon - crowbar or pipe.

Crowbars and pipes may not be the most efficient weapons, but at least you can find them here and there. What’s even more important, using them allows you to remain almost completely silent. Remember that on our spaceship your enemies can always hear you scream…

The most efficient melee weapon will be the one used by some of your enemies - a medieval mace-like thing that can cause a lot of damage.
It works just like you may imagine. You have to have your enemy at arm's length and smash it - or click the mouse button. Keep in mind that such effort costs you more oxygen. It will also lower your stamina a bit.

Our advice? Crowl slowly to an unexpecting enemy and hit it hard once or twice and then retreat to a safe distance. This is more like a marathon, not a sprint. You have to be careful, you have to be patient and you have to be accurate. Missing the enemy is not an option in melee combat!

Ranged weapons
Yes, there are a few ranged energy weapons, that will remind you of classical firearms.

You know that “Alien(s)” franchise is one of our main inspirations and you will see it also in “Cryospace” arsenal.

We have pistols, for example.
And rifles.
Shotguns.
All such weapons will make noise. This, in turn, may attract enemies. It is not always bad - you may use it as an advantage. Dragging the opponents into a trap sounds like a great idea after all, doesn’t it?

There are no silencers in “Cryospace”, which means that every shot makes some sound. You have to aim at the enemy (we will help you a little bit in that area by special “lines” and “pointers”) and click. Range and damage depend, of course, on the type of weapon you are using. Sometimes one shot will be enough to kill the enemy. But mostly, you have to put some effort to eliminate advancing monsters… And remember that shooting also costs some effort - like stamina and oxygen.

Oh, we’re also planning on making one particular level where you will be able to experience some hack and slash commando mode :)

We have some grenades and mines in “Cryospace” also. They work the same as you may expect. With one important exception - low gravity. But we already told you the story about that one here ;)



Remember that environment is also a weapon at your disposal. There are electrical wires that you may change into traps. There are doors that you should close to cut the enemies off. But mostly - forgive us for repeating ourselves - you just have to run and hide!

We will tell you more about the environment another time.

For now, may the ship survive with you!

Cryospace team

Hello, you poor souls who decided to book a trip on “Ascendency” - the deadliest spaceship in the galaxy! Today we will tell you a little bit about three important mechanics of our game.

The first one is oxygen or O2. As you know, this is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. Of course we, humans, do not breathe O2 per se. Oxygen is the essential component for breathing gas and uptake of O2 from the air is the essential purpose of respiration. That’s why we use O2 / oxygen as an abbreviation for breathing gas.

There are a few places on our wracked spaceship where breathing gas is still available. But in most cases, you have to rely on tanks. So looking for tanks and careful monitoring of oxygen levels is essential.

But there are a few “buts” :) First of all, oxygen consumption depends on the activities performed. When you run, your oxygen usage is much higher than when you are just standing. Same story with fighting.

Another important “but” is connected to unfrozen people that may help you. Here and there you will find cryo-capsules that still work. You may use the helping hand of other people. But all of you breathe the same oxygen. So you have to decide who needs the O2 now, and who has to wait a little bit, till you find a new tank. Who has to stay and lower consumption level, risking an unfortunate encounter with enemies…

Straightforward and soldierly speaking: there may be not enough oxygen for everyone. And suffocation from lack of air is not the sweetest death.

And last but not least: if your oxygen level is low, you are a little bit slower…

Basically, stamina symbolizes endurance or the ability to exert an organism and remain active for some period of time. And once again it depends on the activities performed - running, fighting and other strenuous activities uses more stamina. And without stamina, you are slow, you breathe deeper - so you use more oxygen.

Luckily, stamina renews itself spontaneously - just wait a moment.

Of course, everyone has their own stamina, you do not need to share it ;)

One of the most important weapons of yours is… flashlight. Everyone knows you - you have to see a danger to avoid it. But remember, that light also attracts enemies. It's a good idea to turn the flashlight on and off as needed.

The flashlight of course needs batteries, which also are scattered around derelict. You and others may use them to provide energy.

As you can see, we have some interesting mechanics at our disposal. And we are willing to use them to build tension, emotion, and horror.

As you know from the previous DevDiary, the best strategy for surviving the CryoSpace is running. That way you will live - at least till you have oxygen.

We’ve also mentioned that there are different kinds of enemies. Their origins - who created them and why, for example - is one of the riddles that you may solve exploring this huge, almost totally destroyed ship.

Today we would like to share with you some arcane knowledge concerning strange creatures roaming the derelict floating through space…

At the core of our game lies the story. That storyline also affects the design of different enemies. Look for example at their arms and hands.

You have certainly noticed that we created zombie-like creatures with some metal parts. At the beginning of the design, they still have hands - kind of human. But then we get back to the storyline and: BAM! no more hands.

Think about it: metal parts are tougher than delicate tissue. And metal “palms” are more useful in cold outer space.

Check also this mace - inspired by a famous medieval weapon.

Scraps of metal are tied together to create deadly weapons. That way we changed some concept arts to highlight our world. But other game elements should follow the design. That’s why we created such lovely attack animation.

One of our favorite creatures - the Blind - started as an enemy with a special covering-eyes helmet. A few days later it evolved into a creature with special “blindsight” power.

Then we once again thought about those delicate palms. We were sure that the Blind One needs something more dangerous - a welder or a nailer. And we finally decided that the old chainsaw will do.

Head also evolved a little bit to support “blindsight” power.

As you clearly see, the final Blinded One now looks like a strange alien creature.

That’s not the end, because we need animations. The idea for the attack was an easy one.

However, the "blindsight" made us think about the best way to show players the effect of that power. How are we supposed to do that? Well, just think about creatures which senses are constantly attacked by powerful stimuli. Will it remain calm? Of course not.

As you clearly see, everything is connected in our game’s world. The story supports the design, design influence concepts, models, and animations, etc. There are tons of goodies that we scattered here and there. Of course, not only the design of enemies tells some parts of the story. The ship’s corridors and rooms are filled with leads, suggestions, and elements that interconnect - together with dialogs and audio-logs they will create an engaging storyline.

Are you ready to fight - or more precisely - to outrun such nasty creatures?

As you know, our slightly destroyed colony ship travels through space. And on a board, there are a few nasty things. These creatures are scary, dangerous, and stupid (at least, most of them). And there are lots of these things…

On the other hand, our hero is mostly alone, with a small number of resources - not only oxygen but also ammunition or even weapons are lacking.

However, that does not mean that he is helpless - not at all. There are different ways to eliminate monsters.

Of course, the shooting is the most obvious method of elimination. But you have to remember that each bullet is very valuable and that noise the hero is making may attract more enemies. Foes are also very tough, so shooting should be the last resort, not the first one. Hack’n’slash tactics will not work in our survival horror game.

A careful hero will check all rooms and corridors - of course, if he has enough oxygen. And such searches can bring tangible results, like for example mines. Remember that explosions may attract some new enemies.

A smart hero may use the environment of the destroyed ship to his advantage. Here and there he will find dangerous things. And they are not only dangerous to our hero - but also (and even above all) - to his enemies.

A careful and smart hero may also use some compartments as traps. All he has to do is drag his opponent into a game of cat and mouse. A game that’s very dangerous but also winnable…

A careful, smart, and stealthy hero may slowly crawl to the enemy and use a weapon that does not need any bullets or ammunition - crowbar! This is a very dangerous move but at the same time a very satisfying one.

A careful, smart, stealthy, and intelligent player will use the best weapon and the best move of them all: run!

You have to remember however that the ruins of the ship roam with different kinds of enemies. There are fast ones, smart ones, or armed ones. Not all tactics will work during each encounter. Our hero has to be very careful, very smart, and very lucky to survive…

We all know that a user interface (UI) is “the space” where interactions between humans and games occur. HUD, on the other hand, that’s a head-up display: a transparent display that presents data without distracting gamers.

We have been working on it for several days. Where on screen and how to show the valuable information. What kind of “resources” should be on HUD? What color and style should it have?


We took inspiration from classical hack n slash games, like Diablo, and also classical survival horrors like Resident Evil.

We make some tweaks and then look for space designated for NPCs, because sometimes our hero will have some company.
In terms of style, we are looking for something really simple and useful. That’s why not many colors and a few elements.
If you look closely, you will find some inspirations from famous movie series we all love and admire. You surely know what we have in mind - Alien(s), of course. ‘Cause in space, no one can hear you scream.
That retro-sf look can be found also in the equipment window.
Of course, we still have a lot of other work to do. There are some enemies that we are still preparing for you - how they look, how they fight, and how they will die…

Demo of course. That means that we have to face our own fears and start to balance all elements - weapons, enemies, oxygen and batteries, etc. - because the conglomerate of all that will create the true survival horror experience we are looking for. All that and of course, the story, atmosphere, sounds, music, and animations :)

After all, you don’t wanna leave Earth to be safe, right?
CryoSpace team

A long and tiring month is behind us. We implemented a huge chunk of mechanics into the build. The most important - oxygen. And some lesser ones, like PC energy or batteries for the flashlight.

We are also expanding enemies’ “portfolio” - currently, our graphics specialist is creating some scary variants of monsters.

Simultaneously, our animator works on the movements of a new creature that entered our space dungeon. That lovely fellow will be one of our favorite pets :)

We also put a lot of energy into some environmental designs and tests. We were making some difficult decisions concerning hiding some loot on levels, creating places that may work as traps, building some puzzles and movable elements, and refining the look of our scary space wrack.

Now we are almost sure that we will be ready to show you the playable level at the beginning of 2022. Are you ready to play the demo of CryoSpace?

Every player knows what zero-g is and how it works. Although the term is not exactly correct (it should be "zero G-force"), it basically means the complete or near-complete absence of the sensation of weight. Weightlessness.

Low gravity affects a lot of things - shooting with a missile weapon, movement, and health. All this must be taken into account when deciding on a low gravity environment. There is a bunch of games that explore weightlessness - Shattered Horizon, Zero Gravity, Zero-G or Deadspace - and its effects.

There are also other stories that explore the idea of artificial gravity. There are a few ways to create that one. It may be created by an inertial force that mimics the effects of a gravitational force, usually by rotation. Famous examples of artificial gravity, or rotational gravity, you may see in the great science fiction movie “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968, produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick). The “Stowaway” (2021) features the upper stage of launch where the vehicle is connected by 450-meter long tethers to the ship's main hull, acting as a counterweight for inertia-based artificial gravity.

Linear acceleration is another example of generating artificial gravity. Space adventurers may also use magnetic boots. Or have special field generators, like that one in Star Trek: Enterprise.

In CryoSpace you will experience low gravity in a few ways. First of all, we are taking into account all important physics stuff, like Newton's Third Law or Coriolis effect. Although you won't experience it directly in the game. But we have a few unusual gameplay elements that you may expect - like "hanging" objects, long jumps, or "gravitational" traps...

How do you think we dealt with the lack of gravity in space? Or maybe we introduced an artificial one?

And, by the way, we have a new thing to show you:

Are you aware that we have only a few types of scares? Of course, most of them are used in horror movies, but a few are also common elements of horror or survival horror games. There are some obvious things like loud or unsettling noises - you know: building the atmosphere...

The most famous is of course jump scare. Kind of a lazy one. The monster (or monsters) suddenly appears and jumps onto heroes. Like in “Alien” or “Aliens” or “Alien 3” or “Alien 4”...

We have a few ideas related to jump scares - like hidden attacks. When something bad happens out of nowhere. A classic example is the (in)famous chestburster scene from “Alien”.

There is also a “reversed jump scare” - the hero or heroine is walking through the dark old deserted spaceship looking for the monster, and BANG: here is Jonesy! (Supposedly the origin of this idea is connected to legendary film producer Val Lewton - check “The Cat People” from 1942).

And we have “reversed reversed jump scare” - when after the "Jonesy scare" real monster attacks. If you like comedy horrors, you may check “An American Werewolf in London” from 1981 which uses that idea in a very twisted way…

Another famous scare - “the Mirror”. The hero or heroine opens the mirrored bathroom cabinet / refrigerator doors / anything that reflects the image. Then he or she closes it and… BOOM! We have a reflection of the monster right behind!

Of course, there are many other scares. Hide and seek games which are hallmarks of Wes Craven. Or building suspense whose master was Alfred Hitchcock. Both of these may be entangled together into Mystery POV - that one perfected by Steven Spielberg in “Jaws”. Do you remember that scene when the unsuspecting swimmers have fun in the sea and suddenly the camera moves to those dangling legs and… bite!

We also have a few gore ones that splattered into so-called endurance horrors in which the audience has enough after half or so of the movie. They can’t take anymore and the slightest thing works like magic. The classic example will be “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” - the original one, 1974. We also have here the perfected chase technique - improved in many movies in the “Alien” franchise.

Do not forget Lovecraftian fear of the unknown, when something lurks within the darkness or the void or deep in space. And we have to remember also about the surreal scares of David Lynch.

The most terrible fear is built around the loss of identity - there are many classical examples like werewolves or zombies or “the things that came out of space”. In the movie industry, we have at least two great films based on that concept: “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1956) and “The Thing” (1982).

As you can see, we did our homework. We analyze games, movies, comic books… We inspected horrors and survival horrors in many media.

What do you think - which of those are used also in the video games industry? And which one do we love the most? And will use more or less often in Cryospace?